Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-13
LINCOLN ON THE STUMP.
His First Appearance as Candidate for
O6lce--Making Firm Friends,

OF course. in the ten days left him
after his return from the field, canvass
of the county, which was then some
thousands Of square miles in extent,
was out of the question. say the authors
of the Life of Lincoln" now being pub
hshed in the Century. He made few
speeches in the neighborhood of New
Salem, and at least one in Springfield.
He was wholly unknown there except
by his few comrades in arms. We find
him mentioned in the county paper only
once during the summer, in an editorial
note adding the name of Capt. Lincoln
to those candidates for the legislature
who were periling their lives on the
frontier and had left their regulations
in charge of their generous fellow-citi-
zens at homo. On the occasion of his
speaking at Springfield most of the can
didates had come together to address a
meeting there to give the electors some
idea of their quality. These were
severe ordeals for the rash aspirants for
popular favor. Besides those citizens
who came to listen and judge there
were many whose only object was the
free whisky provided for the occasion.
and who, after rotations pottle-deep.
became not only highly parliamentary
but even dangerous TO life and limb.
This wild chivalry of Lick Creek was,
however, less redoubtable to Lincoln
than it might DO to an urban statesman
unacquainted with the frolic brutality
of Clary's Grove. Their gambols never
caused him to lose his self-possession.
1t is related that once, while he was
speaking, he saw a rufiian attack
friend of his in the crowd, and the rem
contre not resulting according to the
orators sympathies, he descended from
the stand. seized the Objectionable
fighting man by the neck, ''threw him
some ten feet" then calmly mounted to
his place and finished his speech, the
course of his logic undisturbed by this
athletic parenthesis. Judge Logan saw
Lincoln for the first time on the
day when he came up to Springfield on
his canvass this summer. He thus
speaks of his future partner: He was
very tall. gawky, and rough-looking
fellow then; his pantaloons didn't meet
his shoes by six inches. But after he
began speaking | became very much
interested in him. He made very sensi-
BILE speech. His manner was very
much the same as in after life; that is,
the same peculiar characteristics were
apparent then, though of course in after
years he evinced more knowledge and
experience. But he had then the same
novelty and the same popularity in pre-
senting his ideas. He had the same in
dividuality that he kept through all his
life"
There were two or three men at the
meeting whose good opinion was worth
more than all the votes of Lick Creek
to one beginning life: Stephen L. Lo-
gan, young lawyer who had recently
come from Kentucky with the best
equipment for nisi prius practitioner
ever brought into the state; Maj. Stuart,
whom we have met IN the Blackhawk
war, one commanding Il battalion and
then marching as private, and Will
liam Butler, afterward prominent in
state politics, at that time q young man
OF the purest western breed in body and
character, clear-headed and courageous,
and ready for any emergency where
friend was 10 pe defended or an enemy
punished. We do net know where
Lincoln gained any votes that day, but
he gained what was far more valuable.
the active friendship of these able and
honorable men, all wings and all Ken
tuckians like himself
The acquaintances be made in his
canvass, the practice he gained in
speaking, and the added confidence
which this experience Of measuring his
abilities with those Of others gave, were
all the advantages which Lincoln de-
rived from this attempt He was de-
feated, for the only time in his life, in
a contest before the people. The for.
tunate candidates were L. ID. Taylor,
j. I. Stuart. Achilles Morris, and Peter
Cartwright, the first OF whom received
1,127 votes and the last Sl5. Lincoln's
position among the eight defeated can
didateS was very respectable one. He
had 657 votes, and there were five who
Jared worse. among them his old adj
versary, Kirkpatrick What must have
been especially gratifying TO him was
the fact that he received the almost
unanimous vote of his own neighbour
hood, the precinct of New Salem, 277
votes against 3, Il result which showed
more strongly than any words could do
the extent of the attachment and the
confidence which his genial and up
right character had inspired among
those who know him besy,